There are very many types of fishing lures or plugs that can be formed into molds in which hooks and other devices can be positioned for the molding of useful lures. Usually the initial plug must be carved or otherwise hand-crafted, and a separate plug must be made of each and every kind and size of bait fish that is to be formed into a mold. These may be a reasonable facsimile of the natural fish, but more often they are not even a good copy.
A new method of making a mold, quickly and simply, that is an exact copy of any kind and size of bait fish that is desired to be duplicated is taught in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,955 for a "METHOD FOR MAKING A FISHING LURE."
In this method, a bait fish of any desired size and type is partially embedded in a freshly poured bed of mold material to form the lower part or portion of a mold. Suitable hooks and other connecting hardware or equipment may be embedded in this portion of the mold along with the bait fish to facilitate the inclusion of corresponding inserts in the molding process. Also, devices for forming suitable ducts or channels for pouring in the molding material as well as for providing for the escape of air may be included at this point. Additional mold material is then poured on top of the lower portion of the mold to cover the bait fish and any other equipment to form the upper part or portion of the mold.
Suitable mold release agents may be provided about the bait fish, and between the two parts of the mold, as necessary. When the mold material has hardened, the upper part may be lifted, and the bait fish and any hooks and other connecting hardware may be lifted out, along with the bait fish, to evacuate the mold. Similar hooks and interconnecting hardware may then be put into the mold, which is closed and filled with the desired molding material, to produce a fishing lure.
The above-summarized, patented invention provides a new dimension in accuracy for a lure, but has certain, practical limitations. For example the tail of an actual fish tapers to a paper-thin section that serves its function in swimming, but is expendable when the fish is eaten in its normal life cycle. A lure, on the other hand, of plastic or any available material would have even less strength than the natural fish, and the tail section could be broken off in use, or even in a bait box. Similarly, the dorsal fin--and the other fins--are equally thin, and may not even project in a natural manner when the fish is out of water. The exactly duplicated fins would be equally fragile on a lure, in or out of the water.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a bait-fish lure that is a substantially--exact replica of the original, yet has a thickened and reenforced tail portion, and a thickened and strengthened dorsal fin with a profile similar to that of the fish in the water.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a bait fish lure that is a substantially--exact replica of the original, yet has a means for securing the necessary hooks, etc.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a bait fish lure that is a substantially--exact replica of the original, yet has fin-like projections to function as diving planes.